


He Shoots, He Scores!

by lizziepro



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-24
Updated: 2013-07-24
Packaged: 2018-06-05 18:19:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6716035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizziepro/pseuds/lizziepro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jongin loves basketball, and Kyungsoo. So bringing Kyungsoo to basketball games for their dates should be spectacular, right? Jongin quickly learns that this is not Kyungsoo's ideal, and that Byun Baekhyun is a bigger brat than he'd ever anticipated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He Shoots, He Scores!

The amount of time Kim Jongin spent watching basketball games was probably an unhealthy amount, by physician and psychologist standards.

But the amount of time he spent thinking about Do Kyungsoo was about 20 million times more than that, and if his basketball love was unhealthy, he needed to be locked up asap for his Kyungsoo obsession.

Jongin wasn’t much of a superfan, or anything, but he was more than addicted to watching the games. The players running up and down the court, like gazelles across the Saharan plains toward a lake for water to quench their gazelle thirst. He thought they moved so gracefully, just as if they were dancing to a song only they could hear. Jongin thought it was beautiful.

How anyone could be blind to said beauty of the game was beyond him, as he could never unsee the precision with which specific plays were run and followthroughs were made on free throw shots.

Kyungsoo on the other hand saw the players as nothing more than a gross mass of tall, large, sweaty men who looked as if they could kill him with a pillow and a chocolate bunny. How they would manage such with those particularly useless objects was not of importance at the moment, but it would be about like that if anything.

So why would it make sense for the majority of the dates Jongin took Kyungsoo on were school basketball games?

Well, Kyungsoo could thank his dear friend Byun Baekhyun for that one.

Baekhyun misled the cute, crush-ridden Jongin to believe that the boy of his dreams was a basketball fan just like him.  


  
If this were true, then Jongin was the prime minister of Australia and Baekhyun’s soon-to-be-boyfriend Chanyeol had never started a fire in his life.

_“He really wants to go out with you, Jongin. Really! So just call him and set up a date already! You're already together, now have fun with it or something!”_ Baekhyun sipped on his mocha while Jongin wiped down the counter top. It was about 2pm, so the coffee shop Jongin worked at was pretty much dead, minus Baekhyun and the usual 2 or 3 girls sitting in the corner and staring craters into his back, only pausing their visual assault to giggle and cover their faces when Jongin would look over at them…more often than not on accident. He wanted nothing to do with them. He only wanted Kyungsoo.

Jongin leant forward on his elbows, _“Yeah, we're together, but where the fuck would we even go on our first date? I've known him for 2 years now and I have no idea where to take him. I should know this by now! He just doesn’t fucking seem like he really wants to go anywhere special, which makes it even more fucking difficult and just, ugh.”_ His face fell into his hands on the counter.

Shortly after he felt a small pat on his shoulder, signaling him to face his friend.

 _“Bring him to a basketball game then.”_ Baekhyun smirked. It wasn’t a normal smirk though, but Jongin was too distressed to be able to tell the difference. Had he been coherent and not totally overwhelmed with shock and apprehension and confusion and just overall lovestruck-ness, then he would’ve noticed.

Because Byun Baekhyun was a little shit.

And Jongin knew all too well what a shit he was.

But he decided to trust him in this moment, because he needed any hint whatsoever as to where the fuck he’d take Kyungsoo for  
their first date in hopes of impressing him so much he’d never want to go anywhere else unless he was with Jongin. Kind of like a pair of puppies in love.

Cute puppy loves.

_“He really likes basketball? He never mentions it when I bring it up or talk about going to a game.”_

_“Mhmmm, he totally does. He just doesn’t like to talk about it much because he doesn’t want to be seen as a blockhead sports fanatic  
who paints his body seafoam and orange just to show his support of gross, sweaty, running buffoons.”_

_“I’m not into that either.”_

_“No, but you’re into a lot of other things, namely things that Kyungsoo likes~”_ Baekhyun winked a super gross, greasy wink. Jongin could feel his arteries clogging from it.

_“You’re gross, hyung.”_

_“Not as gross as you. I’ve seen some of the things on your laptop. Where did you even find that one with the-”_

_“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask your boyfriend?”_

_“Shut up! Chanyeollie isn’t my boyfriend…..unfortunately.”_ He sulked a bit and sipped down the rest of his mocha, now swirling the straw in the empty cup.

 _“Yet.”_ Jongin winked and Baekhyun tossed his head back with a cackle of disbelief.

_“If he ever gets up the nerve to ask me, I will buy you all of Argentina. Let’s be real.”_

_“I’ll have to make sure he asks soon then. Argentina sounds like my kind of place.”_

_“You’re dark enough.”_

_“Fuck off.”_

_“BUT ANYWAY. Back to the matter at hand, you really need to ask Kyungsoo out to a basketball game. It would be his ultimate  
dream date for like 14 reasons.”_

_“Only 14?”_

_“Yes. 14………..”_ Baekhyun said finally, being done with the bickering between himself and one of his friends.

 _“Fine, I’ll ask him if the game tomorrow night is cool and it’ll be fine.”_ Jongin said softly, blushing a bit. It would be fine….right? He wanted more than anything for Kyungsoo to love their first real date, but he wasn’t totally sure this was going to work. Apprehension was evident in his face, now turned into a weird expression that Baekhyun immediately noticed and attempted to flush out.

 _“It will be. Don’t you worry about that._ ” Beakhyun smiled brightly and scrunched his shoulders up in attempt to be cute. All he did though was further solidify Jongin’s apprehension, causing Jongin to deem the conversation finished.

 _“And now you need to go. Isn’t there a sale at Armani today or something? Buy yourself some leopard print, you fucking diva.”_ Jongin said with a small salute as he walked away into the back of the store.

_**“LEOPARD PRINT IS THE MARK OF A FASHION ICON. YOU’RE JUST JEALOUS.”** _  


  
_“Go home, hyung~” He sang in return._

This date was going to be interesting to say the least. And it was about to get even more interesting as Baekhyun wandered to his next destination, which was not, as Jongin had suggested, his home.

Being offended as he was, Baekhyun made his way, as quickly as his short legs would take him, to Kyungsoo’s apartment after leaving the coffee shop to give his other best friend a head’s up about the expected encounter.

That would teach Jongin to be an asshole to him and make fun of his exquisite fashion sense.

And as Baekhyun predicted, Kyungsoo did not take the news of his impending attendance of a basketball game with basketball fanatic Kim Jongin very well. For as cute as it would be to see Jongin so wrapped up in the game, mouth slightly agape as his eyes followed the herd closely, it would be just that that would make Kyungsoo feel even more awkward.

Because Byun Baekhyun was a brat and thought he was funny, he would now be suffering in confusion and obliviousness on his first real date with Kim Jongin, boyfriend of a couple days and friend of a couple years.

So when he spit out his drink in shock when Baekhyun broke the news, Baekhyun was more than pleased with his little scheme he’d put in place.

 _“What the fuck did you tell him that for, hyung?! You know I don’t know jack shit about basketball!! This is going to be a disaster!!”_ Kyungsoo yelled while halfway wiping his mouth of the juice residue he’d spit out. Baekhyun put on his sweetest, sickest cute face, clasping his hands together and looking like a small school girl named Zoe just presented with her own unlimited supply of Hello Kitty goods for life.

_“Well I thought it’d be fun for you both, since Jongin loves it so much and my favorite couple just deserves to have the most fun-”_

_“Oh my god.”_

_“What?”_

_“I know what this is all about.”_

_**“WHAT??!!?”** _

_“What did he say to piss you off?”_

Baekhyun’s face turned immediately sour while Kyungsoo smiled a tiny smile. He knew this is what happened. No doubt about it. Not that it would change anything, him knowing why his boyfriend is taking him to a basketball game and why Baekhyun was being a pissy bitch, but Kyungsoo should be used to it by now.

 _“He didn’t do anything.”_ Baekhyun answered plainly.

_“Did he make fun of you for being a puppy?”_

_“No, he didn’t.”_

_“Did he make a crude joke about Chanyeol being good with his hands?”_

_“He’s not a carpenter anymore. That joke is no longer applicable nor funny.”_

_“I think it is.”_

_“Shut up!”_ Baekhyun threw a tiny tantrum in the middle of Kyungsoo’s kitchen while Kyungsoo sat at the bar and Baekhyun stood across the bar from him in front of the fridge.

 _“I don’t care what he did to you, Baekhyun. You know I know nothing about this fucking sport, and that Jongin will be too into it to explain things to me and will just judge me for now knowing anything about it and I’m nervous.”_ Kyungsoo squinted his eyes shut before letting out a sigh. Seeing Kyungsoo so lost is what broke Baekhyun…..ever so slightly.

_“He insulted my love of leopard print.”_

_Kyungsoo looked up and opened an eye, “Oh my god, you must’ve said something way out of line.”_

Then the sting of regret hit Baekhyun.

_“I didn’t say anything! I just implied that you both share similar interests~”_

_“Go home, hyung.”_

_“Oh come on!”_

_“Go home. I have to somehow figure out how the hell basketball games work so I can look somewhat intelligible for my boyfriend who magically thinks, thanks to you, that I’m a basketball fanatic. And so to repay you for this glorious turn of events, I’m kicking your butt out the door.”_

Kyungsoo had shoved Baekhyun successfully out of his apartment but remained standing in the doorway, blocking his safe haven from anymore ridiculousness Baekhyun might try to throw his way…..That was when it hit him.

The perfect revenge.

_“So I’ll see you tomorrow night then?” Kyungsoo said with a smirk._

_“What?! You’re going on your date with Jongin. Of course I can’t see you.”_

_“You’re coming with me to each basketball game we go to to make up for this. Otherwise everyone is going to see that video of you in that tutu, dancing around from your brownie iced cookies sugar high, and rambling about how excited Chanyeol would be to find out you took Cupcake for a walk.”_

Baekhyun stood there for a moment, eyes gone thin and slightly glaring at his best friend. For as nice as Do Kyungsoo was, you didn’t want to mess with him.

_“What time is the game tomorrow?”_

_“I’ll let you know when Jongin tells me.”_

_“Fair enough. You pay for my snacks though?”_

_“Deal. I’ll text you later.”_

_“Fine. Study up on your basketball, Kyungsoo~ Wouldn’t want to disappoint your cute puppy boyfriend, now would you?”_

_“Says the puppy boyfriend of Park Chanyeol.”_

_“Puppies don’t like to be disappointed. Me and my brethren hold our significant others to high standards.”_  


  
_“Go home, hyung.”_ And with that, Kyungsoo shut his door, sighing heavily as he had a long night of studying ahead of him.

When Jongin picked up Kyungsoo from his apartment the next night, Kyungsoo seemed a little more nervous than his usual slight skittishness, but Jongin just passed it off to being nervous for their date. Not nervousness because he was absolutely clueless as to what the fuck was going to happen tonight at this game.

His studying hadn’t really gone as planned, as he sat down to study at 11pm, finally, and promptly fell asleep at 11:30pm.  
It’d be fine though, right?

 _“Hey, you ready to go?”_ Jongin asked once Kyungsoo opened the door. Kyungsoo was in a polo, tucked nicely into his pristinely pressed jeans, in comparison to Jongin’s plaid shirt and ripped denim. He looked nothing like he was going to a basketball game, nor that he even liked sports in particular, but Jongin brushed it off. Kyungsoo looked too nice for him to think anything otherwise, so cute with his shirt tucked in always. So it was the particular sense of awe that had him fumbling over playing it cool in waiting for Kyungsoo’s reply.

 _“Yeah-hi. I mean, yes. How are you tonight? Yes, let’s go.”_ Kyungsoo stuttered as he stood before Jongin. He shook his head, fumbled his keys, and turned to lock his door before turning back once more to face Jongin.  
Kyungsoo smiled a bit awkwardly, and it hit Jongin right in the heart like an arrow made of gooey cutes and hearts, and yeah, he was crazy about Kyungsoo. His awkward little friend- well, boyfriend now.

But again, this was a date, and even if Kyungsoo really knew how awkward Jongin could be, doing his dumb Krong impression late at night, after too much studying, and more often than not cuddling Kyungsoo as they fell asleep, he couldn’t let that be what Kyungsoo saw tonight.

Because tonight, they were going out. On a date. To a basketball game.

Only cool people went to basketball games on dates.

Like Jay Z and Beyonce.

He could be Jay Z if he wanted to.

The HOVA of the East.

Or something.

Anyway, Jongin decided that he had to be cool tonight, or what he thought was cool, aka trying to keep from smiling and giggling too much, which he had a bad habit of doing around Kyungsoo.

Now was not the time for that.

Even though on the inside he was a smiling, giggling, blushing mess of a boy, and honestly, how could anyone blame him for wanting to smile at the thought of something so perfect as this date with Kyungsoo was going to be?

Really?

This was really happening.

And Jongin couldn't be happier, on the inside anyway. Cool people don't look happy. Cool people have no emotions. They just do things. They don't smile when their significant other holds their hand, or pays for their ticket to get into the game, or hold their hand and play with their thumb while doing so. Jongin could puke rainbows right now if given the chance, but he had an image to protect. So he was determined to protect it in front of all these people. Kyungsoo would understand...

Jongin walked into the gym, head held high, looking around to observe the crowd, hand placed warmly in Kyungsoo’s, and not even 10 minutes into their date, he faltered a bit, smiling, blushing a bit even, because this was everything he wanted. He had to regain his composure. Food would be the answer.

_“You want something to eat, hyung?”_

Kyungsoo twitched a bit, his hand now sweating profusely. Jongin felt like it'd slide out of his own at any moment, and he didn't want that. At all.

_“Why are you calling me hyung?”_

Jongin made a face. Oh god, this wasn’t helping him keep composed at all. Damnit. He hadn’t realized until now that he didn’t  
need to call Kyungsoo “hyung” anymore…and to be honest, it wasn’t so much weird as it was comforting.

_“Oh, it’s just habit. Sorry.”_

_“It’s fine. You can still call me that if you lik-”_

_“NO! Sorry, I’m just not used to it yet.”_

_“Take your time. It’s fine.”_ Kyungsoo smiled up at Jongin and Jongin could’ve sworn he felt his heart jump a little. He waited a few seconds, cleared his throat and gave Kyungsoo’s hand a small squeeze.

 _“What do you want to eat, Kyungsoo?”_ Jongin smirked, trying to get back into character. Kyungsoo didn’t seem to mind, as he just giggled a bit to himself before answering and allowing Jongin to pay for their food.

They walked up to their seats in the stands after obtaining the necessary snack materials, namely popcorn and a couple Twix bars and a giant Coke.

A feast set for the basketball fan extraordinaires, they sat down and waited for the game to start.

Remembering now that Kyungsoo also liked basketball, but they had never had a conversation about it, Jongin decided it was time to break this newly formed ice between he and Kyungsoo, who were normally so comfortable around each other it was insane, but had now become slightly estranged with the new atmosphere at hand. Kyungsoo seemed to tense immediately after sitting down, wiping his hands on his polo frequently and looking toward the door as if he needed to know where the exit was incase Sharknado happened in real life and he needed an escape from the aquatic destruction.

Why was Kyungsoo so nervous?

_“So, do you think the guys will win tonight?”_ Jongin asked before taking a bite out of a Twix bar.

Kyungsoo whipped his head back around to Jongin, and Jongin watched as his eyes grew to alarming sizes. Would they actually fall out tonight? He wasn't sure he was equipped with the proper know how to put them back in if they did. Better have 911 on speed dial...

_“Uhm, yeah! I think they’ll win for sure. Why wouldn’t they?”_

_“Well, because Soho is injured, broken ankle, and he had the best 3 point field goal percentage in the league. Without him, they might lose their place in the division since the rest of the team is in a bit of a slump.”_

_“Oh yeah. That’s right. I forgot about his injury. But even though they’re in a slump, they can still make a comeback, right?”_

_“Not unless their free throw shooting percentage increases too! Otherwise, we’re fucked!”_ Jongin said, flailing a bit now.  
Kyungsoo was thoroughly lost in every way possible. Field goal percentage? Weren’t field goals part of football? And what was a free throw?! You get to shoot the ball without paying for it first at the door? Is that what the tickets are for instead of the seats? Or was there a fee he'd missed upon entering? This was all too much...

Kyungsoo nodded his head blankly as Jongin looked for some form of comprehension in his boyfriend. This was interrupted though as Baekhyun joined the couple at their seats.

 _“Hey, bitches. Enjoying your date?”_ Baekhyun said, sitting down and smiling toward the couple seated next to him.

 _“What the hell are you doing here?”_ Jongin asked. There was no way in hell he was going to let Byun Baekhyun ruin his first date with Kyungsoo. No fucking way.

_“I thought I’d come see a basketball game for once and learn what all the fuss is about. Mind if I sit here?”_

_“Yes, I do mi-”_

_“NO! Sit here! It’s fine with us, right Jongin~?”_ Kyungsoo asked, eyes looking more worried by the second, slightly alarming Jongin.

Did they plan this?

Why would Kyungsoo ask Baekhyun to come to the game with him? It was their date. What the fuck?

Jongin shook his head and turned a little to watch the tip off.

He heard Kyungsoo and Baekhyun begin talking a bit, setting him a little more on edge, but it slowly began to fade as the game picked up. Before long, he was mindlessly reaching for popcorn in the bucket Kyungsoo had placed in his lap and watching the game as if his life depended on it. He was surprised Kyungsoo didn’t have more to say out of concern for the team getting their asses beat with no redemption in sight, and it was kind of upsetting him, if he had to be honest. All he did was hear him ramble every now and then to Baekhyun, giving him shit about liking a specific pair of shoes or a dumb trashy radio song.

This was not going as Jongin had planned it.

Not at all.

He could feel his cool persona leaving him as the disappointment rose, thick in his bloodstream.  
Just then, a player went in for a 3 point shot with 2 seconds left on the shot clock, and Jongin unconsciously reached over and gripped Kyungsoo’s knee.

He felt Kyungsoo jump a bit and heard him squeak, but he didn’t remove his hand, not now.

Even as his face went red with embarrassment, so much so that he couldn’t even look over at his boyfriend to see his reaction, he kept his hand on Kyungsoo's knee. Kyungsoo was his. It was their date. Baekhyun needed to fuck off. Maybe the unintentional possessive gesture would give him a clue.

He knew his grip was deadly, but he had to keep his hand there, and when Kyungsoo didn't fight back, a weird comfort settled into his chest, so he loosened his grip ever so slightly and relaxed back into his seat.

Then the unexpected happened.

Jongin suddenly felt a hand lace its fingers with his own in Kyungsoo’s knee, and somehow it felt more right that the death grip Jongin had previously had on the joint beforehand.

Kyungsoo’s hand, so nice and warm and comforting.

Any tension he’d had left from before had melted as soon as Kyungsoo’s fingers found their way to his own.

Neither said a word about it, not even when another instance of great uncertainty in the game came up, aka when there were 20 seconds left and their team was only down by 3 points, and Jongin gripped Kyungsoo’s hand so tight he thought he might break it in half.

Jongin was a strong kid, no denying it, but he didn't want to hurt Kyungsoo, so he made sure to try and be more conscious of what he did to Kyungsoo during the rest of the game so as to not hurt his precious fragile boyfriend.

Shut up, he would feel so bad if he hurt Kyungsoo.

It'd be like hurting a baby bunny or a tiny turtle. It'd be totally morally wrong. Even cool people didn't do those things. Especially cool people.

Though the team ended up losing 56-59, Jongin still smiled the entire walk back to Kyungsoo’s apartment, contrary to his persona for the night, if for no other reason than he hadn’t let go of his hand since Kyungsoo had taken hold it during the game. H e rambled about the game all the way back to Kyungsoo’s doorstep, Kyungsoo muttering small “mhmmm”s and “yeah”s the entire way, seeming more than disinterested. Why did Jongin feel so stupid? 

_“Did you enjoy the game, Kyungsoo?”_

_“Yeah! It was really intense and just wow. The boys are gonna be okay this season I think. As long as they keep making field goals.”_  
Jongin smirked a bit and kissed Kyungsoo’s forehead.

_“Baskets, Kyungsoo, just call them baskets.”_

_“Oh, right.”_

_“But, why did Baekhyun hyung show up tonight? Did you tell him to come?”_ Jongin asked without thinking. He wanted to know and didn’t really know how to filter anything when Kyungsoo was around, so out it came, causing Kyungsoo to freeze a bit in his place, smile quickly turning to a nervous laugh.

_“No!! I don’t know why he came to the game. But it seemed like Spot didn’t mind too much, huh?”_

_“No, it didn’t. I hope he doesn’t show up next time though, so it can just be the two of us.”_ Jongin said a bit softly, he could feel the flush creeping back into his cheeks.

_“What?”_

_“I mean, that is if you want to go to another game? There’s one Friday night. It’ll be fun- I mean, if you want-” --_ Kyungsoo stood on his toes to reach up and kiss Jongin quickly before he could ramble anymore.

 _“Of course I want to go! Basketball dates are super fun. Because I love basketball and so do you, so it’s perfect.”_ Kyungsoo replied a bit too enthusiastically.

Jongin felt like something was up, but with an 8:30am class in the morning, he decided not to pursue it.

_“Okay, it’s a date then. I’ll see you tomorrow in class, right?”_

_“Definitely. Goodnight, Jongin.”_ Kyungsoo turned to go inside and shut the door with Jongin standing there. Deserted. Without a goodnight kiss, much less a hug.

Okay, something was definitely up.

There was no reason Baekhyun hyung would ever attend a basketball game for any reason unless he happened to be mistaken for the date of a big Michael Kors sale and walked into the gym without realizing it wasn’t the Michael Kors shop.

That, in addition to Kyungsoo’s general uneasiness and lack of conversation about the game, even though Baekhyun said he was a fan, well, it was more than enough to send Jongin to bed that night a little less than comfortable with saying his first date with Kyungsoo was a total success.

But that wouldn’t stop him.

Not in a million years.

So, the couple went on more and more dates in the next 3 or 4 months.

Unfortunately, for any number of reasons, they were all to basketball games, Jongin hoping and praying that Kyungsoo would open up during these dates as he opened up to him whenever they hung out together otherwise.

And never once was it just the two of them.

Baekhyun always tagged along.

Granted, it was hilarious to watch Spot the wolf mascot pull him from the crowd and mess with him, seeing as how neither he nor Kyungsoo seemed to know it was Chanyeol in the costume, but Jongin really wanted there to just be a time for him and Kyungsoo to sit back, relax, and enjoy some quality athletic entertainment.

This wasn’t in the cards for them at the moment, so Jongin took matters into his own hands.

Or further into his own hands.

I mean, it was already in his own hands because it was him dating Kyungsoo so it was a personal matter actually, but yeah.

Anyway, this is what led him to call Park Chanyeol and ask for his assistance. Not only was Chanyeol the mascot for the school basketball games, who had been playing with Baekhyun in an attempt to make his own love of his puppy friend known, but he was also an electrician on the side.

Somehow he’d passed a couple of courses and gotten a gig at the school doing handy work. He’d been a carpenter before, thereby causing on onslaught of jokes about being good with his hands to get directed at Baekhyun, but now that he was an electrician, the jokes became more of the pyrotechnic realm, and how Chanyeol may or may not light a fire in Baekhyun’s heart.

Either way, Jongin made the phone call and Chanyeol had more than happily agreed to help out his favorite couple foster their love on the basketball court in exchange for continued silence in regards to his position as Spot the mascot to Baekhyun and Kyungsoo.

Because if one knew something, then the other would know too. So it was just for the better that neither knew.

Like a pair of gossipy old frogs at a Lilly pad, those two.  


  
With that, Jongin had confirmation for his grand spectacle of love, or so he called it in his mind, to make sure Kyungsoo knew he was head over heels for him, but also in attempt to show Kyungsoo that Jongin was one hell of a boyfriend, capable of things beyond his wildest dreams.

Or some shit like that.

It was 3:30am on a Wednesday night in March when Kyungsoo received the text.

He was working on a take home biology exam and scarfing down some ramen he’d whipped up to keep him awake at this late hour.

It worked well enough, but he was hitting his low point, no longer able to distinguish the word mitosis from meiosis, and yeah, he needed to sleep.

Who was texting him so late?

He turned on his screen and saw a picture of Jongin he’d snapped a couple days ago when they were studying in the library and Jongin was laughing at a video he was watching instead of studying.

Kyungsoo thought it was too cute to pass up, so he took a photo of it.

Anyway, the text.

He opened it and quickly became confused.

_“Meet me at the gym at 2am tomorrow night. <3”_

It was short, sweet, and to the point to say the least.

Maybe it was because it was now 3:34am, or maybe it was curiosity, but Kyungsoo replied with a short _“Okay. I’ll see you there. <3”_ and set his phone down on his desk.

Maybe Jongin was going to give him a basketball lesson?

Maybe he’d challenge him to a game of one on one.

Maybe Jongin just wanted to embarrass him and quiz him on his basketball knowledge so he’d find out he’s a fraud and break up with him because he doesn’t love basketball properly.

Or maybe it was because it was now 3:45am, and damn Kyungsoo needed to sleep and stop overthinking what the fuck was going to happen tomorrow night at the gym.

He had an exam tomorrow afternoon and he needed his rest.  


  
So he’d just have to wait and see what tomorrow held for him.

Jongin walked to the gym Thursday night, 2am on the nose, and he found Kyungsoo sitting on a bench outside, hands folded lightly in his lap, foot tapping presumably out of nervousness for being caught at the gym so late.

Jongin smiled and walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Kyungsoo almost jumped out of his skin with a small shriek before settling back down. He stood in front of Jongin as Jongin kissed his forehead.

_“What are we doing here, Jongin?”_

_“Just follow me. You’ll see.”_ Jongin smiled his genuine, dumb, goofy smile, the one that Kyungsoo loved most, and took Kyungsoo by the hand to lead him into the gym. It was pitch black inside, causing Kyungsoo to tighten his grip on the younger boy’s hand, but somehow it seemed like Jongin knew exactly where he was headed.

They stopped walking, Kyungsoo totally oblivious to his whereabouts, and then a spotlight turned on, lighting their place in the middle of the court and leading a path to a basket on the other side.

Jongin let go of Kyungsoo’s hand and turned behind them, looking up toward the spotlight.

 _“Thanks Chanyeol! Now go home to your puppy!”_ Jongin yelled with a wave.

 _“No problem! Good luck making a hole in one!”_ Chanyeol yelled back.

_“That’s golf, you idiot.”_

_“Is it?”_

_“Yes!”_

_“Oh, okay. Bye!”_ and Jongin turned back to Kyungsoo, grinning like he’d just won his first dance competition. Tonight wasn’t about putting on a cool face for a date with Kyungsoo.

It was about getting to the bottom of what had been bothering him, causing distance in their relationship, and ultimately, making their dates a little less than what Jongin had deemed enjoyable.

 _“Kyungsoo. Let’s make a deal.”_ Jongin reached out for his hand and gave it a squeeze.

_“Okay?”_

_“If I make a basket from half court, we’re going to go on a date to wherever you like. Okay?”_

_“Jongin, I didn’t mean-”_

_“Shush. I wasn’t done. If I don’t make it, then we keep going to basketball games. Do we have a deal?”_

_“Why are you doing this?”_

_“To have a little fun. Deal?”_

Kyungsoo stood and sighed for a bit before responding with _“Deal.”_

Jongin smirked once more, and proceeded to pull his shirt over the top of his head. He knew it’d make Kyungsoo blush, and with that kind of cute next to him, he was more than sure he could make it.

_“Do you really have to be naked to do this?”_

_“Domestic nudity is my life.”_

_“But you’re not at home.”_

_“I’m at home when you’re with me, so it’s fine.”_

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but smile at that, as dumb and stupid as it was. Fucking Kim Jongin. Kyungsoo watched then as Jongin made to pick up a basketball out of the cart next to them.

Jongin lined himself up at the halfcourt line.

He took his stance, dribbling a couple of times for posterity.

He brought the ball to his shoulder, let out a deep breath, and launched it.

Jongin and Kyungsoo both watched the ball cut through the air like a bullet, and gasped as it landed perfectly in the hoop.

_Swish._

Jongin made it.

 ** _“YES!”_** Jongin yelled with a victory fist pump before wrapping Kyungsoo in a hug.

Kyungsoo just laughed out of disbelief.

What the hell even happened?

How was Jongin so good at this!?

Had he practiced?

What even?!

Jongin loosened his grip on his much shorter boyfriend before deciding to speak up.

 _“You know how nervous I was before our first date? I didn’t know where to bring you, so I asked Baekhyun hyung what I should do, and he told me you liked basketball as much as I did…but, now that I think about it, hyung was lying, wasn’t he?”_  
Kyungsoo looked down a bit before Jongin tilted his head up with his fingers.

_“I’m sorry, Jongin. I didn’t mean to lie to you, but I really have no fucking clue what’s happening when we go to games. I just wanted to spend time with you and go where you wanted to go because it made you so happy.”_

_“Well, from now on, we’re both going to like where we go, okay?”_

_“Mhmmmm. Sounds good.”_

_“And now you can stop inviting Baekhyun hyung along for support too, so it can just be the two of us. You realize it’s never just been the two of us on a date, don’t you?”_

Kyungsoo laughed a bit, something else he’d been meaning to bring up and apologize for, but this kid beat him to it. Smartass.

_“It was purely revenge for making me out to be a basketball fanatic. So he had to suffer through not knowing the difference between offense and defense just like me. It was worth it. Especially since Spot hits on him so hard.”_

_“It’s funny isn’t it?”_ Jongin chuckled a bit before kissing Kyungsoo full on the mouth. He lingered a bit before pulling back slightly, nose still grazing Kyungsoo’s own.

_“I love you, Kyungsoo.”_

_“I love you too, Jongin.”_

And Jongin kissed him once more before pulling back out of the hug and taking his hand and leading him out of the gym and back to Kyungsoo’s apartment.

 _“So, where do you want to go this weekend?”_ Jongin asked once they were at the apartment, snuggled nice and cozy in Kyungsoo’s bed, windows open, fans on, breeze causing them to cuddle that much more.

 _“I think I’ve got the perfect place, as long as you don’t mind teaching me a few things.”_ Kyungsoo replied, kissing the top of Jongin’s head. Kyungsoo smiled as Jongin drifted to sleep.  


  
Their next date would be the best one yet.

Saturday morning, and Jongin found himself once more at the basketball game, this time with an eager Kyungsoo in tow.

The crowd was going wild that morning, as the team had made it to the finals for their division.

Jongin and Kyungsoo sat patiently during halftime in their normal seats and relaxed, Jongin’s hand in Kyungsoo’s, as Kyungsoo fed Jongin popcorn at his leisure.

Smiles all around, Jongin was currently explaining the purpose of the halftime show.

_“Basically, they try to keep you here for it with these dumb prizes and crowd participation shit so that way you stay for the last half and buy more of their food.”_

_“But you never volunteer for the halftime things.”_

_“That’s because I’m too cool for them.”_ Jongin leant back a bit and put on a face, a face which Kyungsoo immediately stuck the straw of their soda into.

Jongin took a big gulp and smiled at Kyungsoo before leaning over to kiss him.

 _“Look! There’s Chanyeol!”_ Kyungsoo yelled, pointing at the court.

 _“Looks like he finally got Baekhyun to play along, huh?”_ Jongin observed from his seat as Chanyeol, in his Spot costume, bent down so Baekhyun could kiss the nose of it.

It was gooey and mushy, and damnit, if Jongin wasn’t smiling.

He turned to Kyungsoo and continued smiling.

Smiling because he couldn’t help it.

He was finally at a game, alone with his boyfriend, and actually having fun, even if he did have to keep explaining why travelling was bad and double dribbling wasn’t as cool as Kyungsoo thought it was.

All that mattered was that they were finally having fun, and Jongin couldn’t ask for anything more than the smile on his boyfriend’s face.


End file.
